Workmen's advocate., 1887-01-29
A LONDON LETTER.
EFFORTS OF THE SOCIALISTS
 FOR THE UNEMPLOYED.
Forcing the Government to Furnish Employment - Exhibiting the Red Flag t0 Government
 Officials The Hire.
 ling prPss>.

LONDON, Jan. :, lNoI-- N0tWltn- standing the thickness of the fog on New Years Day, which completely cnyoloped the city, and which pre- vented any one from distinguishing his fellows face, at a few paces dis tant, our simultaneous Unemployed meetings came off very successfully, far better in fact, than we had an ticipatcd. There were eight of these meetings held at the same hour, , D. m, by the following London Branches: Battcrsea, Bermondsey, CIerkcnwcIl, Linn, house, Maryle- bone, Paddington, TottcnhAm and Walworth. At Marylebonc the Un- employed interviewed joint meet ing of the Ncstrymen and Guardians and q somewhat noisy scene ensued. The yestry ultimately agreed to do their best for those out of work if the Social Democrats would furnish them with information as to how many required work. This our com radcs promised to do, and to meet them again on Wednesday next, Jan. l2. In other districts the local bodies resolved not to meet the Un- employed, and therefore, processions with the Red Flag at their head, were marched to the private resi- dences of some of the Nestrymen and Guardians. As you may guess, considerable "scare" was occa- stoned by these proceedings, and sev- eral police were ordered to accom- pany every gathering of Unemployed in the metropolis.
 In Bcrmondsey the local branch of the Social Democratic Federation have forced the vostry to agree to one of their propositions, the estab- lishment of a free labor bureau at the Town Hall for those out of em- pIoyment. In Iimehousc and Com ing Town, which are East End dis trlcts where the poverty is very severe, promises of work for the unemployed have been made; whilst in every part of the metropolis, the snow, which haa recently fallen very heavily, has been cleared away with greater dispatch, and larger num- Der of men employed for that pur- pose than for some years past. Dur ing this week many meetings and paradc8 of the Unemployed have been held.
 The capitalist press, which not q year or so ago tried to boycott our actions as much as possible, now de- votes columns to reporting any steps of importance taken by our local branches, and give long leaders to prove that it is most absurd to take any notice of such notoricty hunters as Social Democrats.
 Regarding the ministerial crisis, which has been brought by Lord Randolph ChurchiIl's resignation from the government, am informed on excellent authority, that one cause of his retiring from the Sails bury Cabinet was that he had direct differences with his colleagues with reference to the sanctty of that frau duIont phrase, 'frcedom of con- tract" and the duty of the state to interfere on behalf of the Unem- ploycd. Lord Randolph Churchill, though an interruptions politician, is sharp enough to see that the Social Democratic views in England threat ems to submerge a good deal more than the mere privileges of an arls- tocracy, and is de8irous that the Tory Party, with himself, of course, at the head, should have some share in guiding that current which he sees clearly, the rest of the Cabinet will be wholly unable to stem.
 In the next number (February), of ! the NineteenH CeHtHFy, Il. NJ. Hyndman will contribute an article on Socialism in Small Doses,